Memories Of The Heart
by stelenaotpp
Summary: Klaus finally has his hands on the cure and is willing to give share it with Stefan. For a price, of course. He wants all the memories Stefan possess of Elena in exchange for the cure. The cure has the ability to fix everything. But it will break Stefan. Will it all be worth it?
1. Chapter 1

"It's quite simple, Stefan." Klaus's footsteps echoed through the mansion, green eyes followed his every moment. "I want all your memories of Elena and in return, I'll give you the cure.."

How Klaus had gotten the cure was unknown to Stefan, and honestly, Stefan didn't give a crap about how Klaus had gotten the cure. All Stefan cared about was the simple fact that Klaus possessed the solutions to all Stefan's problems.

When Klaus had said to Stefan that he had finally gotten his hands on the cure, and was willing to share some of it with him, Stefan knew he was going to have to give something in exchange for the cure.

Once he had announced to Stefan what he wanted in exchange for the cure, Stefan was left speechless. His memories of Elena were what kept him company during his lonely nights. His memories of her kept him sane, kept him from turning it all off.

And that's exactly what Klaus wanted. For Stefan to go all full-blown ripper again.

"Do we have a deal, Stefan?" Klaus asked, an amused smirk tugging on his lips.

At his words, Stefan clenched his fingers tightly into a fist. His knuckles coloring themselves into the shade of white.

"Why? Why my memories of Elena!?" Stefan tried his best to contain the anger boiling inside of him.

Without his memories of Elena, she wouldn't be anything but a stranger to him. Without his memories of her, there would be a hole in his heart and he would have no idea how to fill it.

In the blink of an eye, Klaus was standing in front of him, their faces only inches apart. Stefan wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out of his chest right then and there. But there was no point, Klaus would just come back and continue to ruin Stefan's life.

Besides, Klaus had the cure in his possession, and Stefan wanted it...needed it. Ripping his heart out might cause Klaus to reconsider their deal.

"Because, Stefan," Klaus spat his name in annoyance, causing Stefan to take a step back. "I believe that you will be happier without her."

Stefan couldn't believe the words coming out of Klaus's mouth. How could it be possible for Stefan be happy without the memories he possessed of his soul mate? It was simply impossible, and just the thought alone was unbearable.

"The girl has only brought you misery," Stefan could took notice of Klaus's strong dislike towards Elena by the bitterness in his voice as he spoke. "This is not you, Stefan. You're a ripper! A killing machine! That's the real you, Stefan." Klaus concluded.

Stefan found himself shaking his head in strong disagreement at Klaus's words.

"No, Klaus. You got it all wrong. All Elena has brought me is happiness, love and warmth." It was now Stefan's turn to take a step towards Klaus. "Unlike you." His index finger tapped Klaus's chest. "All you have brought me is pain and misfortune."

Stefan remained his ground as Klaus's eyes reflected the displeasure that Stefan's words caused him.

"Fine, Stefan. Believe what you want," A smirk appeared on Klaus's lips, causing Stefan to cross his arms in annoyance.

"So, do you have an answer to our deal? Your memories of Elena, in exchange for the cure..?" He asks, growing impatient at Stefan's indecisiveness. He was worse than Elena.

Stefan's eyes found a sudden interest on the wooden floorboards, his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

The cure would be able to fix everything. Free Elena of the sire bond, make her human again.

But would it all be worth it if Stefan could not remember anything about her?

One of the reasons Stefan wanted the cure was because he wanted to be with Elena, grow old with her, raise a family. That would not be possible if all his memories of her taken away and never returned.

A sigh of defeat escaped his lips as he locked eyes with Klaus once again, his jaw clenched for he had made his decision.

"Fine, I will trade you my memories of Elena for the cure." He answered.

Stefan watched in disgust as Klaus's mischievous smirk grew into a victorious grin.

Elena is a vampire because of Stefan's inability to save her, all the pain and sadness she has received this past couple of years have been because of him.

He needed to right his wrongs. The cure would fix everything. Even if it breaks him in the end.

A witch appears next to Stefan, fear visibly shown in her brown colored eyes.

Clearly, Klaus had threatened her in order for her to follow his requests. Klaus has a reputation for making people do his bidding against their will.

Stefan felt shaking, sweaty palms rest themselves on his temples.

The witch inhaled a deep a breath, trying her best to stop her hands from shaking. Stefan closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come.

The woman's voice was merely whisper at first, but her voice gained volume as the spell progressed.

Instantly, Stefan could feel the spell taking an effect on him. It felt as though someone had taken a hammer and began to repeatedly pound his head over and over and over again . His lips were sealed tightly preventing Stefan from letting out the yell that wanted to escape his mouth.

As the witch's voice began to lose its volume, Stefan felt cold hands remove themselves from his temples.

He felt himself fall to the ground, his hands raised up to his head wanting nothing more than to stop agonizing pain the spell had caused.

He sat there for a couple of minutes until the pain began to slowly subside. Klaus stayed watching the entire show, amused by it all.

Stefan's eyes lifted removed themselves from the floor to meet Klaus's satisfied expression. A white vial containing a white liquid colored substance tangled from his fingertips.

"Klaus?" Stefan' voice mirrored the pain he felt as he slowly rises from the cold wooden floor. His hand reaches up to touch his forehead, though some of the pain had washed away, Stefan still felt as though his head was on fire.

"Well, it seems that you have kept up your end of the deal. You're memories of Elena, in exchange for the cure." Klaus says, slowly making his way towards Stefan, the smirk still on his face.

Stefan's eyes dropped down to the vial tangled in Klaus's hand, his eyebrows furrowed. "The cure..?" He guesses at the sight of the vial.

As Klaus's words finally process inside of Stefan's mind, his gaze rises to meet Klaus's. "Who's Elena?" He asks, his head slightly tilting to the side, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Klaus stares at the vial in his hands for a few seconds before placing it in the palm of Stefan's hand. "Yes, Stefan. The cure for vampirsim is finally yours." Klaus replies with a smile at his face. It was obvious Klaus was finding Stefan's questions rather amusing, for reasons unknown to Stefan.

"Elena is no longer important, not in your life anyway. Not anymore." Stefan feels Klaus's hand grip his shoulders as he speaks. "You are welcome, my friend."

Stefan nods his head at Klaus's words, though he does not understand why he would be thankful for not knowing who Elena was.

Stefan looks down at vial resting on the palm of his hand. Something inside of him is telling him that the cure was going to fix everything, if only he could remember what needed to be fixed.

Klaus snaps his fingers and a hybrid appears by his side. "Make sure Stefan gets to the Boarding House." Klaus orders. Without hesitation the hybrid nods once and takes Stefan by the arm and drags him out the mansion and into a car.

Stefan's eye remained locked on the vial through the whole drive. He tries to remember why he wanted.. needed the cure so badly, but it's like his mind had been wiped clean.

_What did Klaus mean by exchange?_

The car suddenly came to a halt and the hybrid announced to Stefan that they had arrived. Stefan exists the vehicle and walks towards the front door of the boarding house.

He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Damon. Knowing his brother, Damon would ask questions. Unfortunately, Stefan would not be able to provide any answers, because Stefan was also looking for answers to the same questions.

With the a heavy sigh, Stefan knocks on the door a couple of times and waits for Damon to open the door. The vial suddenly felt heavy in his hand.

Damon doesn't keep Stefan waiting outside for too long.

"Stefan?" Damon's words were laced with confusion at the sight of his little brother. Stefan was the last person Damon ever expected to show up after everything that has happened.

"I have the cure," Stefan simply states. There's no point in beating around the bush. Not when it comes to the cure.

Stefan showes Damon the vial resting on the palm of his hand. He watches as Damon's eyes widen in disbelief at Stefan's words.

"H-How?" Damon asks, slowly taking the vial from Stefan's hands and resting it upon his own skin.

Stefan shrugs his shoulders. "We did some kind of exchange. My memories of E-" Stefan stops abruptly at the sight of the figure walking down the stairs.

"Katherine..?"


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for the great reviews for the first chapter! This is my first time every writing a fan fiction so I really wasn't expecting for people to like or ask me to continue it.. so it really means a lot to me. :D I promise that there will be more Stelena in the next chapter, I know these two chapters have been really lacking Stelena. Again thank you for all the nice reviews and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter. If any of you have any questions concerning the story, don't be afraid to PM me :D

* * *

Everything and everyone suddenly stopped. Damon lost interest in the vial and was now staring at Stefan with a shocked expression.

Stefan's eyes widened at the sight of the female slowly making her way down the stairs.

What was she doing in his house?

"Katherine." Stefan repeated, his voice stern as she stood in front of him.

Stefan took a step closer to her, his jaw clenched. He watched as her eyebrows furrowed and head tilted to the side. Confusing and disbelief washed over her features.

The sight of her infuriated Stefan.

She opened her mouth to speak but Damon beat her to it. "Stefan, can I talk to you outside.. now!"

Stefan's fingers clenched together to form a fist, he did not pay much attention to his brother's words. He was too busy staring at the woman before him.

He was forced to look away from her by the hand on his shoulder pulling him away from Katherine and towards the outside of the Boarding house.

"What is Katherine doing here!?" Stefan asks, anger quickly boiling inside of him.

"She's here for the cure isn't she!?" Stefan's hands cover his face before running through his hair. "Did you call her!? Katherine cannot be trusted, Damon! Haven't you figured that out!?" He begins to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

_Anger is not going to solve anything. _He reassures himself. _No, but ripping her heart out will. _

Stefan's eyes lock on the wooden door. Katherine was only a few feet away from him.

There was something different about her, though. When he looked into her eyes, they were warm, gentle and full of light. Something Katherine's eyes didn't possess. They were always cold and empty.

Damon clenched his jaw at his little brother's words. "That's not funny, Stefan! I get it you're hurt, but can we put our childish drama with Elena aside and focus on the bigger picture." He says, waving the vial in front of Stefan's face.

_What wasn't funny? What childish? And who the fuck is Elena!?_

"What's not funny is the fact that Katherine inside and you're acting like it's not a big deal!" Stefan replies, growing frustrated with his brother.

Damon stares at Stefan like he has lost his mind. Something was defiantly wrong with Stefan. He actually believed that Elena is Katherine. What other reason was there? Stefan would never in a million years every call Elena, Katherine. No matter how heart-broken or pissed. He would never stoop down to that level.

"She's not Katherine, Stefan! That's Elena in there!" Damon was also growing frustrated with his little brother.

Stefan takes a step back once he hears what Damon had said. "What?"

When Klaus had mentioned Elena, Stefan didn't pay the name much thought. Mainly because he had no recollection of an Elena.

But now, Damon's mentioned her too. And according to him, the woman inside the boarding is not Katherine, but Elena.

_"Elena is no longer important, not in your life anyway. Not anymore."_

Stefan began to feel that pounding in his head again as he tried to remember who Elena was and what she meant to him.

"No, Damon. I don't remember..." Stefan says, his words instantly catching Damon's attention.

Damon takes a step towards his little brother. "What do you mean, you don't remember?"

"Klaus.. the only way Klaus would give the cure was if I have him all my memories of Elena. That was our deal."

* * *

Stefan's eyes remained locked on Damon's body as it moved from one corner of the room to other as he talked to Caroline on the phone.

Once Stefan had revealed to Damon why he didn't remember Elena, Damon ordered 'Elena' to go get Bonnie and he picked up the phone to call Caroline.

"Yeah, Elena went to get Bonnie... alright... hurry up and get your ass over here."

Damon shut the phone to a close before walking towards Stefan.

As Stefan's body rested on the sofa, he tried to remember anything about Elena. But every time he tries think back to times where he has heard that name before, he's greeted by a stone wall preventing him from accessing any possible memories Stefan has of Elena.

"Tell me everything. From begging to end, do not leave anything out." Damon says, taking a seat next to Stefan on the sofa.

"I was at Caroline's house, drinking like I had been been doing for two days straight. I remember feeling really depressed for some reason, I can't remember why though.. Anyway, I received a text from Klaus telling me that he had the cure, and was willing to share some of it with me. Of course, I didn't believe him at first but hey, what was there to lose? " Stefan says, fidgeting and playing with his hands as he spoke.

"So I met him at the address he wrote in the text and that's when it all when down. We made a deal, in exchange for the cure, I would give him all my memories of Elena." He said, turning his head to face Damon who was giving him a face that clearly showed he wasn't happy with his brother.

"Are you crazy!? Why would you do something like that!?" Damon finally says, no, yells.

Stefan can tell Damon does not approve of his actions, and though Stefan does not remember exactly why he agreed to the exchange, something inside of him tells him that it was what had to be done.

He had a reason for agreeing to Klaus's deal. If only he can remember what that reason was.

Stefan shrugs his shoulders, wanting nothing more than to provide an answer to his brother's question. "I don't know.. for you? for us?"

Damon sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "We can never catch a break, can we brother?"

Stefan simply shrugs his shoulders once again.

* * *

Both the Salvatore brothers sat in silence as they waited for Elena, Bonnie and Caroline to show up.

Both were trying to make sense of what was going on.

Their heads shoot up simultaneously when front door is opened, followed by the sounds of heels tapping against the wooden floor.

Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena walk towards Stefan and Damon, side by side.

Nobody talks. They all stare at each other in silence.

"Hi.." Stefan's the one to break the uncomfortable silence.

Once he spoke, Bonnie and Caroline walk towards Stefan whilst Elena walked towards Damon.

Stefan noticed how Damon placed his arm around Elena's shoulder and it feels like someone had punched him in the gut for some strange reason.

Caroline rests his hand on Stefan's shoulder, she was looking at him as if he was going to shatter into pieces in front of her very own eyes. "Stef, do you remember me?" She asks in a soothing tone of voice.

"Of course, I remember you care. I remember all of you.." He replies, his eyes moving from one person to the other.

"But you don't remember me?" Elena asks, sitting close to Damon, much to Stefan's surprised dislike.

Stefan looks up at her.

"I know I'm supposed to know who you are, Elena. I look at you and this feeling rushes through me, that I know I've felt before with someone. Maybe that person is you, but I can't remember." Stefan's lips press into a thin line as his eyes look away from Elena's and fall to the ground.

"I want to remember, i'm trying to remember you. But, every time I try all I get is a pounding inside my head."

Stefan feels Caroline's hand grip his shoulder lightly, offering the emotional support a best friend is supposed to offer the other in difficult times.

"Bonnie, can you do anything?" Damon asks, intertwining his fingers with Elena's.

The action stung Stefan right in the heart.

Bonnie takes a deep breath before sitting next to Stefan. "I can try to search for any memories that Stefan has of Elena. Hopefully, all Klaus did was put up a barrier preventing Stefan from accessing his memories of Elena," She says.

Bonnie places her hands on Stefan's temples, the action was all to familiar to Stefan.

"Is it going to hurt?" He asks worriedly, not wanting to experiences the pain he felt when the witch performed the spell on him.

Bonnie shakes her head and Stefan closes his eyes, relieved.

Instead of chanting a spell, like the other witch had done. Bonnie remained quite as she traveled all the corners of Stefan's mind searching for any memories of Elena.

It only lasts a couple of seconds, and when Stefan feels Bonnie's hands remove themselves from his temples, Stefan opens his eyes.

He wish he hadn't.

Bonnie's face tells them what they all feared.

"Nothing.. it's like Elena never existed in Stefan's life until now.."


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, thank you all for such nice reviews. I'm really glad all of you are enjoying the story so far.**

**To Olivia: Yes, Stefan does still remember Lexi. He remembers everyone and everything except Elena.**

**Thank you all for your reviews! Keep them coming, it's nice knowing what you guys think about the story! Anyway, hope you all enjoy this new chapter :D**

* * *

After Bonnie left, Caroline made it perfectly clear to Stefan that he was allowed to stay in her home for as long as he wanted. Stefan of course, agreed. He didn't want to stay with Damon and Elena and have to experience that feeling he received when Damon touched Elena's hand or kissed her cheek. It was better to stay with Caroline.

"How do you feel?" Caroline asks handing a glass filled to the top with Whiskey.

"Great," He replied, as he took the glass from Caroline and taking a quick swig of the alcoholic substance.

He smiled at Caroline as she took a seat across from him next to the fireplace.

"Can you tell me about her?" He finally says.

The witch had taken all the memories Stefan had of Elena, but she still felt strangely familiar to him. That's what hurts the most. Feeling like he knows everything about her and yet know nothing.

"What do you want to know exactly?" Caroline says, hesitant to answer Stefan's question. She witnessed her best friend in the worst stages of heart-break. She didn't want to risk bringing back the pain that he felt only a couple of days ago.

"How important was she in my life, Caroline?" He asks, taking another swig of his drink, instantly feeling the burning in his throat.

Stefan already knew that Elena was important in his life. But what he didn't know was how important exactly she was. Were they best friends? Were they in a relationship? The idea actually sent a smile to his lips for some reason. But the smile quickly disappeared once the image of Damon resting his hand on Elena's thigh popped into his head. It was obvious there was something going on between Damon and Elena, and Stefan instantly felt guilty about even thinking about Elena that way.

"Very important, Stefan. You.. were in love with her." Caroline replies, a plan forming in her head. If Stefan were to ask any more questions, she knew exactly how to answer them without giving too much information that might hurt Stefan in any way.

Stefan's eyes dropped to the glass resting between his hands. He wasn't surprised that he was in love with Elena. That feeling he received when she was close to him was his first clue.

"And.. was she in love with.. me?" Stefan asks, afraid of what Caroline s answer would be.

He listened to Caroline take a deep breath. His grip on the glass got a little tighter.

"No.. she was in love with Damon.. and you can tell she is by all the touching she and Damon shared tonight," Caroline instantly felt bad about lying to Stefan. But she needed to spare him from getting his feelings hurt again.

"H-How did Damon and Elena get together?" He asks, trying to hide the disappointment in his words.

"They just happened, unfortunately. The sight of them two makes me want to puke to be honest.." Caroline shakes her head, leaning back on the seat.

Stefan can't help but chuckle at her words.

"Well, if she makes my brother happy.. I'm happy." With a smile, he raises his glass to his lips and empties the glass of its substance.

Caroline doesn't even touch her drink, she just looks down.

* * *

Caroline receives a text from Damon the following morning saying that Elena has finally arrived to a decision about the cure and she wishes for both Caroline and Stefan to be there.

He was glad that Elena invited him, he was the one who got the cure for her in first place.

Stefan and Caroline stand side by side in front of the entrance to the boarding house waiting for Damon or Elena to open the door for him. He didn't know why Caroline had stopped him from just walking in, it was Stefan's house too.

He smiles when Elena's the one who opens the door and invites them in. Caroline walks in without even speaking a word to Elena. Stefan on the other hand can't help but talk to her. "Hello, Elena," He greets, a smile on his lips.

"Hey, Stefan." She exhales, before closing the door behind him.

Stefan notices how her body tensed and how she was hesitant to talk to him. Had he done something bad to her? He felt the urge to apologize for whatever it was he had done. Though he barely knew her, Stefan could not bear the thought of Elena feeling any sort of hatred towards him.

He lowers his head slightly, avoiding her stare. He quickly walks to Caroline's side, feeling comfortable next to her.

He smiles when she gently nudges him in the shoulder, her blonde curls bouncing up and down.

Damon clears his throat before taking his place next to Elena, resting his hand on her waist. Stefan watches as Elena smiles at Damon's gesture.

_If he's happy, I'm happy_

"This was a very difficult decision to make. Mainly because of how much I wanted the cure in the beginning, but through time, thanks to Damon, I've actually begun to enjoy being a vampire." Elena says, reaching for Damon's hand.

Caroline couldn't help scoff at Elena's words. "God, it's like she personally wrote sire bond on her forehead." She whispers to herself, but knows perfectly well that Elena and Damon heard her.

Stefan was about to ask why she said sire bond, but shut his mouth when Damon decided to speak.

"Can you let her finish, Caroline?" He says in an irritated tone of voice before nodded at Elena to continue.

"But.. I have decided to take the cure." Elena finally says.

Caroline throws her hands in the air at Elena's words. "Finally, the woman is talking sense again!"

Stefan couldn't help but chuckle at Caroline. Elena and Damon didn't find it as amusing as Stefan did.

"Stefan, did Klaus ever tell you what you're supposed to do with the cure?" Damon asks whilst digging inside his front right pocket and taking out the vial.

"It's a vial, dumb-ass. She's supposed to drink the cure. Swear to god, you get dumber every time I talk to you. Which by the way, is way too much for my liking." Caroline says, letting out a huff and crossing her arms in annoyance.

Stefan smiles again. Caroline was on fire today.

Damon rolls his eyes at Caroline before handing the vial to Elena. "Let's hope this works." He whispers.

Elena takes the vial with her shaky fingers and removing the cap. She locks eyes with Stefan before drinking the cure.

They all stare at Elena as she removes the vial from her lips and places the cap back on the vial.

"That's it? I was kinda of expecting light to come out of her eyes or see her spirit come back to her body," Caroline shakes her head in disappointment.

This time, Stefan just shakes his head at Caroline's silliness.

* * *

Stefan and Caroline decide to stay for a little while longer, wanting to make sure the cure actually worked. Damon was outside talking outside with some witch he said he was close to. Which meant he slept with her once and actually remembered to save her number.

Elena was sitting across from Stefan and Caroline, waiting for something to happen her. None of them said a word to each other, they just sat there in complete, utter silence.

"Caroline can you leave me and Stefan alone for a second..?" Elena asks out of the blue.

Stefan's head turns to Caroline and nods. Caroline simply nods back and walks away from them. He sits up on the couch when Elena walks towards him and sits down right next to Stefan.

She takes a deep breath before turning to face him. "I never thanked you, for getting the cure. I know it must have been tough for you considering the way you felt about me, even though you probably don't feel it anymore."

Stefan nods his head before looking down. "You're welcome." He replies, thinking about what to say next. "Yeah, Caroline said.. that I was in love with you."

Elena moves her body a little closer to Stefan, placing her hand on his thigh. "I know you don't remember anything about me, but I want you to know that what I felt for you was real, Stefan. I loved you. But my feelings for Damon are stronger."

Stefan looks up as soon as he processed her words. "You loved me?.. but Caroline said th-"

"The witch didn't know anything, she literally laughed me when I asked her. That bitch," Damon said walking towards them, closely followed by Caroline.

"Don't worry, I texted Klaus asking him to come over. He's the only one who can help." Caroline says, taking a seat next to Stefan.

Elena was now sitting next to Damon, far away from Stefan. He found himself missing her touch.

Right on cue, Klaus appeared out of nowhere with his typical smirk. "And right you are, Caroline. Thanks for calling, love," Caroline rolled her eyes at Klaus. He hasn't been in the room for more than a minute she was already annoyed by his presence.

"Now, you are all probably wondering why the cure hasn't worked yet, right?" Klaus asks, placing his hands behind his back.

They all nodded at his question.

"Caroline, are you familiar with the movie, Snow White?" He questions, an amused smirk tugging on his lips.

Stefan's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What are you talking about, Klaus?"

"Just answer the question, Caroline." Klaus said.

"Yeah, Of course. It's one of my favorite movies. What does that have to do with anything?" She asks. She was just as confused as Stefan.

"Well, If I do remember correctly, the only way to wake up Snow White was with a true love's kiss... Am I right, Caroline?"

Caroline nods her head.

"Well, that's exactly what will trigger the cure to start taking an effect on Elena. True love's kiss."

Nobody talks. They all look at each other.

Stefan looks at Elena.

Damon looks Elena.

Caroline looks at Stefan.

And what surprises Stefan the most, is the fact that Elena is actually looking back at him.


End file.
